Narrator and point of view

The events presented in the short story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence are told by a third-person narrator, who is outside the story. The narrator is mainly an observer of the events and adopts different perspectives. 

When the narrator adopts Paul’s perspective, the readers get to know the boy’s intimate thoughts and feelings: “The boy saw she did not believe him; or rather, that she paid no attention to his assertion. This angered him somewhere, and made him want to compel her attention”. This example shows that the narrator knows Paul is frustrated with his mother’s lack of interest. 

Hester’s perspective is also presented. At the beginning of the story, the narrator reveals what Hester feels about her children: “They looked at her coldly, as if they were findi...